YAMAOKA PIZZA
- 455 Onitoricho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0237, Japan
- ¥ · Pizza
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
This restaurant on Mt. Ikomayama overlooks the city. The Italy-trained chef bakes pizzas with his own original take. The key to the taste is Ikoma spring water – the water’s sweetness and softness give the pizza real character. Made using less salt compared to the Italian recipe, the crust has a uniquely fluffy texture. The standard offering is margherita pizza made with vegetables from a local farm. Have your fill of Ikoma pizza you won’t find in Naples or Rome. It’s closed for the month of February.
Facilities & Services
- Car park
- Cash only
- Great view
+81 743-77-0511
Sosakukushinomise Rindo
- 224-1 Tsujimachi, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0212, Japan
- ¥¥ · Kushiage
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Chef Ueda came up with creative skewers to make use of his experience in both Japanese and Western cuisine. The honekiri-treated hamo requiring very precise cuts is where his Japanese culinary skills shine. The croque monsieur is a French recipe. The menu starts with Western appetisers and incorporates surinagashi, gazpacho and other soups. The free-wheeling culinary ideas on display in the menu have you looking forward to what’s coming.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- American Express credit card
- Car park
- Counter dining
- Credit card / Debit card accepted
- Diners Club credit card
- JCB
- Mastercard credit card
- Visa credit card
+81 743-84-6669
A VOTRE SANTE
- 6-26 Shinasahigaoka, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0253, Japan
- ¥¥ · French
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Chef Yaoki Tsujimura says that he wants to communicate the sights he saw in France. He recalls memories from training in southern France in the 1990s. Everything from gougère to bread and small confectionery is freshly baked. Dishes made using a generous amount of butter and garnished with sauce have a nostalgic French aroma to them. When you hear the word ‘santé, it means a fun time is about to begin.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- American Express credit card
- Car park
- Cash only – lunch
- Diners Club credit card
- JCB
- Mastercard credit card
- Visa credit card
+81 743-75-8123
Unagino Toyokawa
- 3-3-12 Tomio Motomachi, Nara, Nara, 631-0078, Japan
- ¥¥ · Unagi / Freshwater Eel
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
The owner-chef apprenticed at an unagi restaurant in Osaka after becoming enamoured of the world of unagi artisans. He took the name of his teacher’s restaurant out of gratitude and grills plump ‘aote’ unagi, Kansai-style, over bincho charcoal. There is a saying that when it comes to learning unagi, skewering technique takes three years, dressing it takes eight years and grilling it takes a lifetime to master. As such, he has devoted himself to unagi.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- American Express credit card
- Counter dining
- Credit card / Debit card accepted
- Diners Club credit card
- JCB
- Mastercard credit card
- Visa credit card
+81 742-51-8171
Yakitori Fukuro
- 2F, 2-6-47 Tomio Motomachi, Nara, Nara, 631-0078, Japan
- ¥¥ · Yakitori
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Two brothers run this restaurant, the older handling the grilling and the younger, the preparations. Tender, fatty chicken is grilled over kishu-binchotan. The aim is to serve yakitori that can be enjoyed by anyone, so how the fat is trimmed is altered according to the customer’s preference. The chickens are slaughtered that morning, so the meat from organs like the liver and heart is fresh. The coordination between grilling and skewering is on point thanks to the brotherly bond.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- American Express credit card
- Counter dining
- Credit card / Debit card accepted
- Diners Club credit card
- JCB
- Mastercard credit card
- Visa credit card
+81 742-47-9889
French Izakaya Étonner
- 2-5-25 Tomio Motomachi, Nara, Nara, 631-0078, Japan
- ¥ · French
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
French Izakaya is a bright spot in Tomio where people can enjoy themselves in a more casual way than at a bistro. The idea is to make French cuisine feel more familiar, for which reason the chef serves various regional French dishes. Escargot is served not in the Burgundy-style but, surprisingly, in ‘Étonner’ style, with parsley butter and tomatoes. The liveliness of the space and the authenticity of the dishes make for a true French atmosphere.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- American Express credit card
- Counter dining
- Credit card / Debit card accepted
- Diners Club credit card
- JCB
- Mastercard credit card
- Visa credit card
Masala an TAKUMI
- 2281 Nakamachi, Nara, Nara, 631-0052, Japan
- ¥¥ · Indian
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Chef Sakanaka conveys the depth of spices through Indian cuisine. The set menu is built around curry and a tandoor oven. His creative appetisers incorporate Japanese ingredients, and he prepares them using French techniques. He uses whole spices and powder depending on the dish to enhance the synergy between aroma and flavour. His skilful use of spices creates new tastes.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- Car park
- Cash only
- Shoes must be removed
+81 742-47-1601
Kiminami
- 2201-1 Oshikumacho, Nara, Nara, 631-0011, Japan
- ¥ · Soba
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
The owner-chef liked how making soba was a very minimalist process, using only buckwheat and water. That approach is behind his decision not to add any filler ingredients. In the summer, he makes the noodles thin so that they go down smoothly, and thick in the winter so that the flavour delightfully fills the palate as you chew. For an appetiser, we recommend the shrimp tempura, which uses batter mixed with marunuki.
Facilities & Services
- Car park
- Cash only
Sanukiudon Kirakuan
- 6-1-9 Ayameike Minami, Nara, Nara, 631-0033, Japan
- ¥ · Udon
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
The owner-chef’s credo is freshness, for which he kneads and makes the noodles in the morning. He learned to make noodles in Kagawa. The dashi is Kansai-style made from kombu and several kinds of dried fish. Although the kamaage in a box and kamatama (udon with raw egg) are also appealing, we recommend starting with the chilled udon, full of flavour and texture. The udon in a bamboo basket is served with wasabi, and the udon with broth poured on top is served with mustard.
Facilities & Services
- Cash only
- Counter dining
+81 742-45-6788
Noto Toto Teuchisoba Tabiki
- 1-3-6 Horyuji Nishi, Ikarugacho, Ikoma-gun, Nara, 636-0114, Japan
- ¥ · Soba
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Seiji Matsushima grows crops and makes pottery. He doesn’t just knead earth, though, he also kneads soba. The thin juwari soba set out on dishes he made himself exudes rusticity and the way of life of a self-described farmer. He grows the buckwheat berries for the sobagaki himself. Basil picked in the field in the summer is served with soba topped with a thick dashi-rich sauce, and winter yuzu is served with hot soba. Grated daikon is used in place of wasabi.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- Car park
- Cash only
+81 745-74-0438
Chukasoba Oshitani
- 5-4-30 Shijooji, Nara, Nara, 630-8014, Japan
- ¥ · Ramen
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
The owner-chef came up with various creative ramen dishes from his time training. In opening this restaurant in his hometown, he set his sights on Chinese noodles, which was not very common at the time, and to which he adds his signature touch. The ‘Shoyu’ features kaeshi made with kombu and oysters and is completed with porcini-flavoured oil. The ‘Shio’ is an original, flavoured with shellfish adductor muscles and shrimp, and with truffle oil for fragrance.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- Car park
- Cash only
- Counter dining
+81 742-31-7068
PIZZERIA TRATTORIA MAGAZZINO
- 172-1 Kamada, Kashiba, Nara, 639-0227, Japan
- ¥ · Pizza
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
The pizza here is prepared true to how it’s done in Naples, with chef Hironori Noda reproducing those authentic flavours. What Naples has that Nara doesn’t is an ocean so, in response, he came up with the idea of a restaurant that’s all about the fields. He grows the vegetables himself and makes them the main ingredients. The garden is his mother’s, and he harvests the vegetables himself, meaning that the bounty of Kashiba proffered here truly springs from ‘Mother Earth’.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- American Express credit card
- Car park
- Cash only – lunch
- Diners Club credit card
- JCB
- Mastercard credit card
- Visa credit card
Shikinoaji Enzu
- 6-5-14 Omiyacho, Nara, Nara, 630-8115, Japan
- ¥¥ · Japanese
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
The cheerful hospitality of the owner-chef at this kappo will put you at ease. He offers a wide selection of dishes, including tsukuri, tempura and grilled items. He serves several appetisers so you can snack on them while choosing your main dishes. Regular offerings include deep-fried mugwort fu and eggplant with dengaku miso. Although not on the menu, sushi can be prepared if you place an order. The spirit of service he shows makes this a great place to dine.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- Counter dining
- Credit card / Debit card accepted
- Shoes must be removed
+81 742-36-0634
Nidaime Izumosoba Dandan
- 2-2-34 Omiyacho, Nara, Nara, 630-8115, Japan
- ¥ · Soba
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Izumo soba is a local cuisine of Shimane. The family moved to this location from Shimane and opened this restaurant to introduce the taste of their hometown. Nana Nitta, who took over the restaurant from the father, mills the unpolished buckwheat. This is what gives Izumo soba its blackish colour. The thin juwari soba is served with broth poured over it. Another cultural tradition of Izumo is the three-tiered vermilion-lacquered serving dish called a ‘warigo’.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- Car park
- Cash only
- Counter dining
Pizzeria Luna Nuova
- 2-1-35 Omiyacho, Nara, Nara, 630-8115, Japan
- ¥ · Pizza
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
What drew chef Akai to pizza was its simplicity, being a complete meal in a single dish. He’s passionate about Neapolitan pizza baked in a firewood oven and uses Italian wheat for lightness and fragrance in the crust. The popular item on the menu is the D.O.C. Pizza of buffalo mozzarella, dried cherry tomato and basil. His experience in Italian cuisine is also evident in the home-style Italian sausage and chargrilled dishes.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- American Express credit card
- Counter dining
- Credit card / Debit card accepted
- Diners Club credit card
- JCB
- Mastercard credit card
- Visa credit card
+81 742-33-6679
Kushizukushi
- 31 Yanagimachi, Nara, Nara, 630-8353, Japan
- ¥ · Kushiage
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
The creative skewers here feature seasonal ingredients and rare ingredients, such as Japanese glass shrimp in the spring, ayu with roe in the autumn and oysters in winter. Items like vegetables pickled in sake lees and goma-dofu give you the full Nara experience. To end comes nyumen that goes down well or dashi chazuke made with rice grown by the owner-chef’s brother . Each item on the set menu is given an extra touch for texture and flavour, making it a truly appealing set meal.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- Cash only
- Counter dining
toi Inshokuten
- 30-3 Hanashibacho, Nara, Nara, 630-8266, Japan
- ¥ · Indian
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
The ‘toi’ in the name of the restaurant is an acronym for ‘trip of imagination’. The destination is India, and the mission is to provide traditional Indian dishes. There are meat, fish and vegetable curries. They do things Thali teishoku-style and serve several kinds of curry of your choice on a large plate. You can also add individual items like pakora, an Indian-style tempura.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- Cash only
+81 742-87-7014
Himawari
- 3-20-4 Denen, Gojo, Nara, 637-0093, Japan
- ¥ · Yoshoku
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Chef Kameoka’s journey brought him to old-fashioned yoshoku. Demi-glace sauce is the key to his dishes, with soy sauce as the ‘secret ingredient’. Based on his experience with French cuisine, he had tried madeira and port wine, but something just wasn’t right. So, after much trial and error, he arrived at the taste of a yoshoku restaurant he had enjoyed when he was younger. His speciality is hamburger steak topped with plenty of sauce and there’s real depth to it.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- Car park
- Cash only
Simple comme Bonjour
- 68-3 Kawaharajocho, Tenri, Nara, 632-0016, Japan
- ¥¥ · French
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Kotaro Kawaguchi chose the path of French cuisine, following in the footsteps of his father, who was a cook on a cruise ship. He says that training at Pierre Gagnaire in Paris, a restaurant he had long admired, boosted his morale as a chef. There, he learned the techniques to create harmony between ingredients. There are no standard offerings here, as he is always inspired to offer new creations.
Facilities & Services
- Air conditioning
- American Express credit card
- Credit card / Debit card accepted
- Diners Club credit card
- JCB
- Mastercard credit card
- Visa credit card
Menya Ittoku
- 372-2 Kawaharajocho, Tenri, Nara, 632-0016, Japan
- ¥ · Ramen
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Every time there’s an order, you hear the sound of the motorized slicer. It cuts Italian pork fillets thin like uncured ham. The signature dish is salt-flavoured ramen. The dashi is made from whole chicken, kombu and katsuo-bushi, and the glutamic acid and inosinic acid produce a synergy of umami. If you order ‘shimemeshi’, which is rice with chicken, to go with the remaining soup, it’s like you’re having chicken zosui.
Facilities & Services
- Car park
- Cash only
- Counter dining
+81 743-62-2888